Many staff at Tottenham Hotspur now believe that Jose Mourinho’s appointment is part of the reason why Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso have struggled so much at the club, the Athletic report.
Mourinho at fault?
Tottenham spent a combined sum of close to £100 million to bring the two midfielders to the club during Mauricio Pochettino’s time.
However, the drastic change in approach between Pochettino and Mourinho’s management has meant that the pair have had a very unsettled time at Spurs so far.
That has led to neither Ndombele or Lo Celso being able to show their best form.
Ndombele has showcased his talent at times, but his physical condition has often been questioned, as has his off the ball work.
Lo Celso, meanwhile, often looks like a world-beater when representing Argentina but he has really struggled to show anywhere near his best at Spurs.
Lo Celso actually enjoyed an encouraging first season, but he has since seen his performance levels dip badly.
Can Conte save them?
The hope is that Antonio Conte’s arrival will be able to revive both of the pair’s Tottenham careers.
But at Spurs there is a feeling that Mourinho is partly to blame for their struggles.
His appointment is believed to have ‘harmed’ their development, which seems a fair argument.
Mourinho wasn’t particularly great for many Tottenham players, and by the end his relationships with numerous members of the squad seemed to have broken down.
While Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son did thrive under the Portuguese, few other Spurs players managed to excel.
The pressure will be on Ndombele and Lo Celso to prove their worth under Conte though.
There is only so long Tottenham will be able to wait for them to show that they were worth the large transfer fees that they paid for them back in 2019.
And if they have another difficult season, their Tottenham futures will surely be discussed sooner rather than later.
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